EDITORIAL: Smart911 could be a life-saver

An important campaign is under way that could help save lives, maybe even yours, and it comes with a remarkably low price tag.

We’re talking about Smart911, the third-party service that lets people update and personalize the information that is shared with emergency responders when they call a 911 dispatch center.

Currently, during a 911 call, dispatch operators will see the name affiliated with a phone number, and if it is a landline, they will also see an address. But consider how many phone calls are now made from mobile devices. If operators take an emergency call from your cellphone, they will only see your name and phone number, and hopefully an approximation of where you might be located in relationship to cell towers in the area.

Depending on your ability to communicate effectively to the operator (and many people in emergencies don’t have that ability) you may find yourself losing precious minutes when you have no minutes to spare.

But by going to Smart911.com, anyone can connect his or her cellphone number to a home address, a car registration, vital medical information, photographs of family members, or whatever else you think might be useful during an emergency. This can make a huge difference to first responders, and may mean the difference between a successful rescue and a tragic outcome.

It doesn’t cost users anything to create their online profile at Smart911.com, and even if Flathead County didn’t add the service here, it would still benefit residents should they have an emergency in Missoula County or any of the hundreds of other localities that currently subscribe.

Fortunately, the Flathead 911 Foundation is raising funds now to make sure than we don’t miss out on this opportunity to increase our safety here at home. The group has already raised one-third of the $85,000 needed to bring Smart911 to the Flathead for five years.

If you can help this good cause, it may help you, your family or your neighbors in the future. Send donations to Flathead 911 Foundation, c/o Nan Askew, 3 Ridge Crest Court, Whitefish MT 59937.